Chapter 29 Sienna
SIENNA
Leona
I’m coming to Chicago
I did a double-take when I saw Leona’s text.
Sienna
Wait what? Why?
Leona
I find myself in need of some new jewelry
Sienna
Oh yes, definitely essential for someone who has an entire closet full of jewelry
Leona
Do you want me to come or not?
Sienna
What I meant was
omg yes! you do need more jewelry!
Leona
That’s better.
Ronan needs someone to finalize the Boston trade routes and I need to check on my best friend
It had taken several days and multiple bribes to get Leona to forgive me for not immediately telling her about my surprise marriage, but a cannoli delivery had finally won her over.
I’d probably have to buy her more presents once she realized I’d been lying about how things were going with Dimitri.
I’d told her—had told everyone—that things were going well.
I’d even said that he’d taken me out on a date, like a fucking idiot.
I groaned as I flopped down on the plush couch I’d ordered for the sunroom.
I’d told myself it was okay to lie because I just didn’t want anyone to worry about me.
It was harder to admit that the true reason had much more to do with my pride—I didn’t want them to know my new husband couldn’t stand to be around me for longer than thirty-second bursts.
Leona would figure out the real state of my marriage in all of two seconds, but I was too lonely to tell her to stay away.
Sienna
Just a warning that my favorite hobby these days is randomly falling asleep
Leona
Sounds great for my clubbing plans
Sienna
lol have fun without me
“I can’t believe you’re forcing me to go clubbing. Can’t we just watch a movie here? None of my clothes fit right,” I whined.
Leona leveled her classic unimpressed stare in my direction. “Stop whining, little liar, and get your ass into something slutty.”
I let out a frustrated screech and stormed back into the closet.
This past week, the construction team had outfitted the walk-in closet with a fancy shelf system that looked great.
I might even hang my clothes up someday.
I nudged the piles of clothes on the floor, considering my options.
My black sequined mini skirt was high-waisted, so there was a good chance it could fit over my growing belly.
I pulled on the skirt, sucking in to get it over my little Turnip bump.
The fit was tight and I looked like I had a massive food baby, but who was I trying to impress?
Now, I needed a top. I flipped through a couple of options but kept returning to the matching black sequined crop top.
I pulled it on, snorting at how tight it was across my growing boobs.
“Okay, be honest. Does it look like I’m trying too hard?” I walked out of the closet and did a little twirl.
Leona was perched on my bed, scratching Vovk’s ears. He looked absolutely besotted with our new guest.
“Damn, mama, you look hot. Don’t change a thing.”
“As if anyone will even notice me when I’m standing next to you.” I tugged at my top. I wasn’t used to feeling uncomfortable in my own body, but it was hard enough to feel glamorous next to Leona on a good day.
I studied my face in the mirror. Besides looking a little extra tired, pregnancy hadn’t changed my appearance too much yet.
I played with a curl of my hair, trying to get it to lie flat.
I was growing out my bangs and they were trapped in that slightly awkward length stage, although the pregnancy hormones were definitely speeding up the regrowth process.
Leona rolled her eyes. “Stop that. Everyone will be looking at you.” She gently nudged Vovk aside and stood, her green mini skirt making her legs look even longer than usual. She came to my side and slung her arm around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. “As they should.”
A small smile tugged at my lips. Getting ready together like this reminded me of our college days. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Good. Maybe you can convince your husband to give me a jewel as a symbol of our friendship.”
I snorted. “I’ll see what I can do. Let’s go.”
Vovk led the way downstairs. I frowned when I spotted Maxim and Aleksei locked in a heated conversation in the foyer.
Aleksei’s face contorted with frustration as he grabbed Maxim’s shirt.
The click of my heels on the stairs alerted them that they were no longer alone.
Aleksei abruptly released Maxim and stepped away from him.
Maxim cursed when he saw me. “Are you trying to get me killed with that outfit?”
I looked down. “Don’t worry, I deactivated the explosives in the skirt so I think you’ll survive the night.”
His responding scowl made me grin. “It’s not explosives I’m concerned about, unless, of course, it’s your husband throwing them at me for letting you out of the house in that.”
I crossed my arms. “I’ve been assured I’m not a prisoner here. Besides, you already agreed to take me out.”
He might have only agreed after Leona threatened to sneak me out of the house if he refused, but still.
Dimitri was at some high-profile government meeting, so he wasn’t available to veto our plans.
Not that I had any desire to listen to a man tell me where I could and couldn’t go.
Especially a man who continued to ignore me after our middle-of-the-night bath conversation.
Fuck him. And fuck me for being the soft-hearted fool who had pressed my ear to his bedroom door the past three nights to make sure he wasn’t having more nightmares.
“How’re you doing, Lyosha? Are you coming with us?
” I asked. The hacker hardly ever left his lair, something I could appreciate.
I’d been tempted to track him down to talk shop, but I didn’t want to reveal the extent of my hacking knowledge.
Dimitri clearly wasn’t interested in getting to know me, so I’d decided to play my cards close to the vest.
“No, he’s not,” Maxim said, jaw clenched.
Aleksei gave me a stiff nod before he turned on his heel and stormed out. Leona raised a delicate eyebrow.
“Is everything alright—” I started before Maxim cut me off.
“We should leave now. Sergey will come with us as our second guard, but I need your promise that if I tell you we need to leave, you will do it without arguing.”
Maxim was usually so easygoing that this stern, serious version was disorienting. He took off towards the garage before coming to an abrupt stop. “If I ask you to change, would you do it?”
I snorted, and he let out a defeated sigh.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
The club pulsed with energy, the music so loud it rattled my ribcage.
The riot of sights, scents, and the electric intensity of the very air around us quickly transformed my reluctant agreement to real enthusiasm.
Leona and I wove through the crowd with linked arms, garnering plenty of hungry stares.
Most of them were for Leona—the red-haired bombshell was impossible to ignore—but I garnered a decent number of admiring looks.
It was vain, but I lit up at the attention.
I didn’t want any of these men, but it felt nice to be desired, even if it was just for a few hours.
I added an extra swing in my hips as we squeezed our way into empty spots at the enormous bar.
Leona signaled the bartender, who sauntered over with a wicked smile, exuding an air of sex and confidence.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
Leona leaned over the bar, her expression one of utter seduction. “Your name, to start.”
Not many people could hold their own against Leona, but I thought this woman, with her badass hair—half white and half jet black—and leather harness might have a fighting chance. Her eyes lingered on the way Leona’s breasts spilled over her top. “My name’s Mae.”
“Nice to meet you.” Leona reached out a finger and slowly ran it up Mae’s throat before leaning forward and saying something in her ear.
The bartender pulled back, her lips curved in a smile.
Leona turned to me. “What do you want?”
“Besides more of this show?” I gestured between the women. “I’ll take a Shirley Temple with extra cherries, please.”
Mae gave Leona another heated glance before going to make our drinks.
I shook my head, resting one elbow on the bar. “Flirt.”
Leona flipped her hair over her shoulder and hopped up on a stool. “You should try it sometime.”
I got on the barstool next to her, but quickly had to get back down. My skirt was too tight for me to sit and breathe at the same time. “Women or flirting?”
“Both, obviously.”
Leona and I had a few drunken make-out sessions in our college years, and while it had been fun, it hadn’t ever been more than that for me. No one had ever made me feel the way Dimitri did.
“So...” Leona started.
I arched an eyebrow. “So?”
“I might not be able to get you drunk, but you better hope the pile of sugar in your drink loosens your tongue because you’re not getting through tonight without telling me everything about the mysterious Pakhan.”
Mae returned with my drink, saving me from responding. She set three shot glasses out in front of Leona along with lime wedges and a small bowl of salt. She filled the glasses with tequila.
The two women locked eyes as Leona licked a line along the back of her hand, sprinkled it with salt, and picked up a lime wedge.
She crooked her finger and Mae leaned forward, taking the lime wedge between her lips.
Leona wasted no time licking the salt from her hand and throwing back the first shot before leaning over and sucking the lime from the bartender’s mouth.
I blinked and took a long sip of my Shirley Temple because fuck, that was hot.
With a wink, Mae spun on her heel to serve those waiting, and Leona turned her attention back to me.
“Should we dance?” I asked.
She smirked. “You get to dance after I get the gossip.”
I huffed and focused on using my straw to fish out a maraschino cherry. “There’s nothing to tell. It’s a Mafia marriage. Not exactly romantic.”
Leona rolled her eyes. “Most Mafia marriages don’t start with the couple spending a hot weekend together in Paris. How’s the sex been now that you’re married?”
My lips twisted, and my straw chased another cherry around the bottom of my glass.
Leona’s hand squeezed my arm as she moved closer. “Are you not having sex?”
The horrified way she said brought a reluctant smile to my lips, but the reality of the situation quickly sobered me.
“He hates me.”
Leona was close enough to catch my words before the loud music swallowed up my confession. She played with my hair, her brows knitted together. “What do you mean?”
“He thinks I intentionally got pregnant to trap him in this marriage.”
“Trapped him into a marriage that was his idea? That you didn’t want?”
I shrugged. “I never said he was smart.”
“Well, that goes without saying.”
I snorted a laugh and drained the rest of my drink, wishing it was alcohol so I could at least momentarily numb the ache in my chest. I hadn’t seen Dimitri in the three days since his nightmare. He had left the house early the next morning and hadn’t returned.
I hated myself for missing him.
I hated him for starring in my vivid sex dreams that left me frustrated and needy.
“If he’s too stupid to see how sexy you are, someone else will.”
“Umm…” I waved my left hand in her face, light bouncing off the facets of my engagement ring.
Leona was undeterred. “If he wants to be your husband, he needs to learn to give you proper attention.” The way she said proper dripped with innuendo.
“I’m not going to pick some random guy up at a club. That’s kind of what got me into this mess in the first place. On your recommendation.”
Her head tilted and her eyes twinkled. “I’m pretty sure you don’t have to worry about a surprise pregnancy this time around. Besides, pregnant women have needs, too.”
“Fucking tell me about it,” I muttered.
“What does that mean?” She gasped. “Oh my god! You’re horny. See, I’m a genius.”
My cheeks heated and I busied myself with readjusting my boobs in the sparkly top.
She laughed. “Your cheeks are the color of a turnip. You and the baby are matching.”
“You’re thinking radish.”
“What?”
“Turnips are purplish. Radishes are red. So unless my makeup is doing something I can’t see…”
Leona rolled her eyes. “Alright, Miss Vegetable Farmer.”
I fished out the final maraschino cherry from the bottom of my drink. “Alright, the sugar rush is about to hit. It’s dance floor time.”
Leona slammed her final tequila shot and grabbed my hand. “Let’s fucking do this.”